Ricordea question

[robt18]

I have a few rics, and one of them looks like its about to split again. The piece had 3 mouths when I bought it, one split off and is now a separate head, and the remaining piece with two mouths is huge. It has grown into a "3 leaf clover" shape, with two mouths moving towards separate "leaves". However, the third leaf looks like its the one that would be split off and it has no mouth...

So I guess what I need to know is how do rics grow new mouths? Do the existing mouths split, or do they grow new ones on the head where they feel necessary?

Thanks in advance!

[Hookup]

No idea. Tagging along for answer.

[Feivel]

Ususaly means they want to split but sometimes dont. try spot feeding them, see if this could help build some extra tissues to entice them to split-up, maybee there just happier this way as a bic ric??? lol who knows


Florida Rics split, whereas Yuma's "drop" babies, for a lack of a better expression. I don't really know the exact mechanism, but with Yuma's you'll see a new mouth forming on a new spot on the rock under the old polyp.

[robt18]

This one is a Florida ric. I Feed it mysis every few days (pretty heavy diet...) and it's always super happy looking. When the first mouth split from the main head it kinda started to pinch in on the edges, then within 2-3 days had completely separated and rounded off.

Still can't tell if there's a small new mouth forming or if I'm just trying to convince myself that's what it is.

[robt18]

Answer! They grow out wherever. I've got two new mouths coming; one is about 1/16 of an inch away from another head (super close) and the other is about 3/4" away from the others on the new bit of the disc that's trying to split. Hopefully there's a new head soon!

[Hookup]

Very awesome!  It want so long ago that keeping corals alive was the main goal.  Now it's growth and reproduction!   Great stuff

[robt18]

Ah yes, I miss the days of selling aptaisia as a coral....